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THE CHEF ENCYCLOPEDIA:
Culinary Herb & Spice Reference Guide
Cinnamon
[also Ceylon Cinnamon]
(Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
(Syn Laurus Cinnamomum)
Family: Lauraceae
Native to Sri Lanka, and often referred to as Ceylon Cinnamon, the best
cinnamon grows along the coastal strip near Colombo. Cinnamon grows
plentifully in Malabar, Indo-China, and Sumatra, and has also been cultivated
in Brazil, Mauritius, India, and Jamaica. The evergreen tree grows from
30 to 40 feet, and commercial Cinnamon bark is the dried inner bark
of the 3-year-old shoots, with paler color being of finer quality. There
are about 100 different species of cinnamon trees with similar aromatic
properties. Cinnamon belongs to the same family as the bay and the avocado.
Cinnamon is used to flavor a wide variety of foods including cakes,
cookies, apple pie, donuts, puddings, yogurt and candies. A less expensive
variety Chinese Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) dominates the North American
market. See Cassia.
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